


gourds instead of guards

by sevenzeroseven



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: ???? - Freeform, Character Study, Gen, M/M, POV Outsider, Pining, kind of also delves into eiji's pov in a very third person omniscient way, vaguely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-15 19:49:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16070078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevenzeroseven/pseuds/sevenzeroseven
Summary: Eiji makes friends with the neighbors, Heather Coleman and Elizabeth Owen, and they help him realize a thing or two.“We’ve seen you around quite often. You work for the Winstons?”“Work?” He raised his brow, looking both surprised and doubly confused. “Ah, um, well, yes, something like that, I guess?”





	gourds instead of guards

When the children started school, the days seemed to grow longer. Oh, of course, there were always soap operas and shopping and hair appointments, but Heather Coleman had already spent the last twenty odd years doing that, day in and day out. The routine had become monotonous long ago. The start of this school year, though, had brought with it a few developments guaranteed to brighten up her afternoons. For one, Elizabeth Owen was pregnant again and ergo housebound, and for two, the empty apartment next door had finally been sold. She’d hoped that would mean a new female friend in the form of another bored housewife, but only a devilishly handsome young boy had moved in instead. That was enough, however, to set the whole floor abuzz.

“Lizzie! Lizzie, open up!” Heather rapped impatiently on her friend’s door, alternating between the buzzer and the knocker until the partition finally gave way.

Elizabeth Owen, eight months pregnant, stood in the entryway looking as irate as ever. Tousled, blonde fell around her petite shoulders; dark bags hung under her eyes. She seemed to have just woken up. Heather Coleman pulled a face then shoved the tuna salad she’d made into the other’s hands.

“It’s past noon, you know! I just knew you hadn’t eaten. Come on, then, let me in. I’m absolutely  _dying_  to tell you about the new neighbors.”

Elizabeth sighed, pressing her left hand to her swollen belly, and stepped aside. “Heather, I  _told_  you. I’m really not interested.”

Heather swept into the apartment regardless, a whirlwind of excitement, and continued talking as though she hadn’t heard a thing. “ _Edward Winston_ , have you heard of him? Apparently, he’s vice president at some Wall Street bank or other.” Heather plopped down on the leather couch uninvited and waved away the details but perked up again as she added, ”Oh, you can’t believe how excited I was to meet his wife, but have you heard?”

Elizabeth had trailed into the kitchen mid-oration, and now her voice echoed disinterestedly back into the living room, her lack of enthusiasm failing to deter the middle-aged woman in the least. “No.”

“ _Well_ , let me tell you, there is no wife!”

“A bachelor?”

“More like a single father.”

“Single  _and_  rich? Don’t let Samantha know. She’ll sink her claws into him whether or not there’s a kid in the picture.”

Elizabeth re-emerged, looking slightly peppier, with two plates and a modest serving of tuna salad on each. Heather accepted the offering despite having already eaten, too absorbed in her story to mention the fact. “Well, I can’t say for certain whether he’s single, but Lauren certainly thinks so. Tiffany says she passed him in the hallway and didn’t see a ring though she  _did_  see a ring  _outline_ , so he must be either divorced or widowed.”

Elizabeth  _hmm_ ’d along and picked at her salad. “So? Are all the housewives taking bets over when Samantha will make her move?”

Heather tutted and set her plate aside on the coffee table, moving closer to the armrest of her love seat and her friend in the adjacent recliner. “ _No_ , see, the interesting thing is that since he’s bought the apartment, no one’s seen hide nor tail of him!”

That seemed to pique Elizabeth’s interest somewhat, and she raised a perfectly penciled eyebrow to shoot Heather a skeptical look. “So… what? It’s a hideaway for his mistress?”

“Oh, wouldn’t that be the talk of the building? No, it seems only his son is living there.”

“Oh. Well, that’s not very interesting.”

“Because you haven’t seen him.”

“Who? The son?”

“Yes!” Heather shifted in her seat, red curls bouncing across his shoulders as she swept the hair from her hazel eyes. Despite nearing forty, she hardly looked a day past thirty. Sometimes, Elizabeth was jealous of her vitality, but she brushed aside the small envy to try and focus on the gossip that Heather was feeding her irritatingly piece by piece. She gestured for the older woman to continue somewhat impatiently and swallowed another forkful of salad.

“Christopher Winston—absolutely  _gorgeous_. Blond hair, green eyes, and  _so_ young! If I didn’t know better, I would’ve taken him for a model.”

“Heather, might I remind you that you’re married, and if he’s that young, he’s probably underage.”

“Oh, Lizzie, stop!” Heather swatted the blonde’s arm half-indignantly, half-playfully, and Elizabeth rolled her eyes with a faint smirk. “I would never! Besides, a young man like that has more than enough girls his own age swooning over him.”

“So, he’s living with a girlfriend?”

“No, no.” Heather waved a hand in front of her face. “But he doesn’t seem to be living alone. A young, Asian boy—“

“Asian?”

“Yes, Chinese maybe? Well, anyway, he’s probably the help or something. The point is that all of the other wives are smitten and scrambling to introduce their daughters. I  _wish_  I had a daughter to introduce, but—” Heather sighed balefully, cupping her chin in her left hand as delicately manicured fingernails tapped against her cheek. “All boys, as luck would have it. And your daughter’s too young.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes a second time. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating.”

“I’ll have you see for yourself that I’m not!”

* * *

The opportunity never quite came. Heather couldn’t figure out Chris’s schedule for the life of her. On some days he and his Asian housekeeper didn’t leave the apartment at all. On others, he was gone at the crack of dawn and home God knows when. Troupes of rowdy-looking boys were always coming and going as well, usually at odd hours, with a few more frequent than the rest. With the consistency of their visits, they had to be friends, but it was difficult to reconcile Chris’s gentle demeanor with those less gentle. Perhaps it was some outreach program?

Heather didn’t bother overthinking it. Her initial vague concern quickly gave way to curiosity when the boys kept to themselves and clearly meant no harm. Chris too was an enigma, rarely seen enough for anyone to introduce themselves, much less their daughters.

Edward Winston also  _never_  visited. Over the span of just a week or two, Heather had started pitying the child somewhat, growing up seemingly without parental guidance. She’d felt the urge to knock on their door a few times, but after the initial “welcome to the neighborhood” casserole, she hadn’t found many other instances to acquaint herself. With how secretly they kept to themselves, it almost seemed inappropriate to intrude.

Opportunity finally came in the form of their Asian houseboy. Elizabeth had been complaining about a banana craving when Heather jabbed her in the side.

“Ouch! Heather, what—“

Heather pointed over at the start of another aisle where the Winston’s houseboy was standing with a confused look on his face. He had a list in his hand and kept looking between it and the overhanging aisle markers. Heather gave Elizabeth a knowing glance which she returned with an equally befuddled tilt of her head, not having quite caught on by the time Heather strolled ahead and called out, “ _Ni hao_!”

The boy froze, like deer in the headlights.

“ _Ni hao_ ,” Heather repeated and stopped a few steps away, grocery basket swinging between them. She heard Elizabeth’s cart sidle hesitantly up beside her. “Am I pronouncing it right?”

“I-I’m sorry; are you talking to me?” He pointed at himself rather adorably and swiveled his head about as though he wasn’t the only Asian boy in the building. Or, at least, the only one who visited their supermarket with any frequency. Heather chuckled and nodded, already taking a liking to him. His English was surprisingly good for the help, faintly accented but entirely understandable.

“I’m not Chinese,” he continued, smiling a bit awkwardly and scratching his cheek with his unoccupied hand. “I’m Japanese.”

“Oh! How embarrassing.” Heather felt the color creep up her neck, and when she turned to look at her younger friend, she was giving her a judgemental glare as if to say ‘why didn’t you just introduce yourself normally?’

She tried to shrug off the chagrin by changing subject. “I’m Heather Coleman. I live next door.”

“Ah, I remember. Thank you again for the casserole.” He inclined his head respectfully, and Heather felt the urge to pull the dear into a hug, but she refrained and turned to the woman beside her.

“This is Lizzie Owen. She lives downstairs from us.”

Elizabeth smiled thinly and offered a quick wave, looking none too happy to be distracted from her craving, but Heather bulldozed ahead.

“We’ve seen you around quite often. You work for the Winstons?”

“Work?” He raised his brow, looking both surprised and doubly confused. “Ah, um, well, yes, something like that, I guess?”

That was a far more lukewarm reply than Heather Coleman knew what to do with. She and Elizabeth exchanged a look. They couldn’t be roommates or some kind of distant family relation, could they? But before either of them could pursue the topic, the Japanese boy was inclining his head again and turning away. “I’m sorry, I’m actually looking for something, so—“

“What are you looking for?” Elizabeth interrupted, leaving her cart aside to pull up beside him and peek at his list. He startled at her appearance, baby bump preceding her, and took half a step away before offering the paper. “Hm? These are all—?“

“Yes… Japanese ingredients. I didn’t think this market would have it, but I thought I’d try.” He smiled sheepishly, and Heather clapped her hands together enthusiastically, startling him again.

“Eh?”

“We do! There’s an international section. It’s rather small, so I don’t know if it’ll have everything you’re looking for, but it might. Lizzie, shall we show him?”

Elizabeth handed back the list and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Huh? O-Oh, right, I never introduced myself. My name is Eiji Okumura. It’s nice to meet you, and thank you for your help.”

They’d already started walking toward the other end of the market, Heather having placed her basket in Elizabeth’s cart and taken the other’s place in pushing it. Eiji paced alongside Elizabeth, wilting a little under her intense stare but nevertheless holding his ground. “Um…”

“Lizzie!” Heather whispered, a little surprised at the other’s rudeness, when the woman interrupted her.

“Heather.” She pointed at his face and turned to her. “Doesn’t he look like that actor you like?”

Heather made a questioning sound in the back of her throat.

“Oh, you know the one. Well, it doesn’t matter.” Elizabeth waved aside the issue as if she wasn’t the one who brought it up to begin with and turned back to the boy. “Eiji, how old are you? You can’t be any older than Chris. Don’t tell me the Winstons are employing underage help?”

“Lizzie!” Heather whispered again, making to jab her friend a second time, but she sidestepped the maneuver easily.

Eiji laughed haltingly, looking half-dejected at the comment, and answered, “Actually, I’m nineteen.”

That made the both of them raise an eyebrow. “Nineteen?” Heather quipped. “Why, I could’ve mistaken you for a high schooler. Chris is in high school, though, isn’t he?”

“He’s seventeen.”

“Seventeen, see, I told you.”

Elizabeth shrugged and smiled. “You’re both very young.” She bit her lip, clearly wanting to ask more now that she’d finally started asking. And Elizabeth was judging  _her_  for being a busybody!

She smiled triumphantly to herself, pointing toward the last aisle. “There it is. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Eiji perked up, a bright grin lighting up his face as he hurried ahead of them. “Thank you very much!”

“Oh, Eiji,” Elizabeth called.

He paused, pivoting, as Elizabeth nodded to her counterpart. “She’s always trying to make friends with the neighbors, so if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.”

This time, Heather successfully jabbed her friend in the side, but she was smiling nonetheless as she added, “She’s not wrong. You should come over for tea sometime, dear. We’d love to get to know you more.”

Eiji paused, some of his previous elation now muted. He seemed to be considering something but nodded his head regardless. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you!”

* * *

Heather hadn’t expected Eiji to take her up on her offer, and he probably wouldn’t have had she not cornered him one afternoon. She’d just returned from walking the dog when she spotted the Japanese boy fumbling for keys and grocery.

“Eiji!” she called just as he turned the lock.

“Ah, Mrs. Coleman, good afternoon.”

“You’re free?” Heather made as if to peek into the other’s apartment, but the crack was far too small. “Chris isn’t home? Come over! Oh, Snowball, be quiet!”

The fluffy white dog growled at being yelled at then continued yipping loudly at the presence of a stranger. Heather tugged on the crystal-studded leash, hushing her again. “Snowball!”

Eiji laughed, the sound demure and reserved. He was very soft for a boy his age, Heather thought, a calming presence. Even Snowball seemed to settle down a little despite her agitation.

“Um, I don’t know if…”

“Oh, it won’t take very long. Just tea, and I baked too many cookies the other day, even for my brood, so you’d be a big help eating some.” When he still seemed unsure, Heather added, “I know the Winstons must keep you busy, but everyone needs a break, no?”

That finally seemed to get through to him. Eiji smiled benignly and nodded, pointing inside as he nudged the door open wider. “Let me just drop these off inside.” 

He disappeared before she could agree, and then Heather was rushing inside herself, unhooking Snowball’s leash and bustling to make herself presentable again.

“Lizzie?” she asked as her call connected, and she shouldered the phone between her right cheek and shoulder. She grabbed Snowball’s bowl, which was running on empty, and the food bag from the pantry. “Oh, hush,” she muttered to the little Maltese running around her ankles before continuing, “I know I’m early, but never mind that, Lizzie. Eiji’s coming over for tea, so you have to come down now!” She paused. “Oh, please, I know you’re just as curious as I am. Be quick about it! And bring some of those delightful brownies you made the other day.” 

She hung up before she could hear Elizabeth’s rebuttal. In less than five minutes, the bell was ringing, and Heather was opening the door to Eiji’s lighthearted greeting. 

“Hello,” he started. “Thank you for inviting me. Um, I didn’t really have anything to bring, so…” Eiji trailed off with a quiet laugh, and Heather quickly ushered him inside. 

“I have more than enough snacks for us, trust me! I would’ve been concerned if you  _did_  bring something; gosh, there’s just so much food in this house. Come in, come in. Don’t be shy.” 

Eiji did as he was told but suddenly stopped at the foyer and began nudging out of his shoes.

“There’s no need, dear!” She waved inward which seemed to catch Eiji off guard somewhat.

“Ah.” He followed her prompting regardless, taking ginger steps on the stark white carpet until they entered the living room.

“Wah, Mrs. Coleman, you have a very beautiful apartment.”

Heather beamed at the compliment, opening her arms to gesture at the various busts and paintings she’d collected over years of touring Manhattan’s art galleries. “The interior layout of all these apartments are the same, but I try. Come into the kitchen, Eiji, I’ve already laid everything out.” 

She pushed into a door and revealed a modern kitchen, bathed in sunlight and the New York skyline. The layouts weren't entirely the same, Eiji realized, as it was Ash’s living room facing this way. He briefly glanced over at the building across the street before taking his seat at the table and noting there were three rather than two placements.

“Is someone joining us?” he asked.

“Lizzie! She was just about to come over when I met you in the hallway, and ah! That must be her. Excuse me for a moment, dear.” Heather hurried out as the doorbell sounded again, leaving Eiji to observe his surroundings in silence. It was a nice apartment, very lived-in. Pictures hung neatly on the fridge, and Eiji could tell someone had spilled orange juice or some other drink on the kitchen island earlier that morning.

Eiji smiled to himself as he relaxed into his seat. Ash wasn’t here very often, but that apartment  _had_  started taking on some semblance of a home regardless. He wished he could build a proper home for Ash; he was trying, anyway. 

Turning his head to the sound of hushed whispers, he couldn’t help questioning whether he should be here. He hadn’t wanted to trouble Ash by going out of his way socializing, but there wasn’t any harm to this. They were just housewives. There was no politics or gang warfare behind neighborly chatter. Besides, what else was he supposed to do cooped up inside all day? Bones and Kong couldn’t be around all the time either. 

Straightening as the door opened, Eiji greeted the woman who looked very pregnant now, probably close to birth. “Mrs. Owen, hello.” 

“Hello, Eiji,” she greeted genially back, setting a plate of brownies beside him as she promptly collapsed into the empty chair to his left. “I hope Heather hasn’t been talking your ear off.” 

“Nonsense, he only just got here. Eiji, help yourself to brownies and cookies.” Heather took off the saran wrap around the brownies and pushed a plate of assorted cookies at him. He took one to be polite though he often found American sweets a little  _too_  sweet for his palate.

“Green tea, Eiji?” 

“Ah, yes, please.”

“Lizzie, chamomile?” 

“You know it.”

It was another few minutes before Heather sat down, having fetched tea bags that were now steeping in hot water. She took a breath when she did, fingers wrapping around her tea cup as she properly regarded the Japanese boy sitting opposite her. 

“So, Eiji,” she began. “I hope you don’t think we’re being too nosy, but you know, we rarely get new neighbors, and they’re all rather predictable upper echelon types when we do. I don’t think we’ve ever had someone as young as Chris move in alone, much less employ such an upstanding, young Japanese boy under him.”

She smiled, and the cheery expression reached all the way to her eyes. Eiji looked timid, but once he settled in, there was something very reassuring and stalwart about his presence. He leaned casually against the edge of the table, fingers of his right hand curled lightly around the handle of his cup. 

“No, I appreciate the invitation. You’re right that I could use a break. It gets a bit lonely sometimes in that apartment when I’m by myself.” 

“How are you liking New York City, Eiji?” Elizabeth asked, putting aside her phone finally to focus on the youth to her right. She leaned an elbow between them and cupped her chin in her palm. 

Eiji laughed slowly. “Is it that obvious?”

“As natives, we can spot a visitor from a mile away,” Heather supplied helpfully, taking one of Elizabeth’s brownies for herself.

“You can’t have come here just to be an errand boy,” Elizabeth mused. “Are you an international college student?”

Eiji didn’t answer immediately. He took a sip of his still scalding tea instead, trying vainly to remember the details of Ash’s alias. Ash didn’t tell him much about it, probably figuring that he didn’t need to know, but he was fairly certain he hadn’t come up with anything for Eiji himself. Eiji was therefore free to tell white lies and half-truths as he saw fit. It was funny how, after coming to America, he’d gotten into the habit of lying. His mother would be disappointed in him if he weren’t lying to her every time they spoke as well. 

Setting his cup down, he nodded. “Yes. Well, technically. I ran into some… issues, and Mr. Winston and his son have been helping me get back on my feet.” 

“Oh, how kind of them. Isn’t that nice, Lizzie?”

Elizabeth shrugged and blew on her own tea, steam wafting up and kissing her long eyelashes. The thought flashed across his mind that something about her vaguely reminded him of Ash.  _Blond eyelashes, the both of them_ , he mused.

“Visa issues?” she asked.

“Mmm, something like that.” 

She smiled faintly. “I won’t pry.” Then she took a sip, and they all lapsed into silence. Heather nibbled on her brownie, and Eiji bit carefully into his cookie. The sweetness momentarily overwhelmed his taste buds though the flavor was good. He washed down the sugar with hot tea, still gulping when Elizabeth asked, “What are you studying? Or were studying, whichever.” 

“Uh.” Shit. Eiji hadn’t thought that far. He couldn’t say pole-vaulting. Did they even have programs for that in the States? In his panic, he remembered Ibe-san and blurted, “Photography.” 

Once he said it, it sounded surprisingly… right. 

“Photography? That’s a wonderful profession!” 

“Also a difficult one to break into. At least in America. What kind of photography, Eiji?”

Seeing Eiji at a loss once more, Elizabeth supplemented, “Sports? Nature? Crime?” 

“Lizzie’s a lawyer,” Heather explained when Eiji balked ever so slightly at the ‘crime’ suggestion. “She owns a firm with her husband. Not everyone wants to be involved in all that dangerous hogwash, Lizzie.”

Elizabeth shrugged. “It’s an option. Well, Eiji?” She looked to Eiji expectantly, and all Eiji could do was laugh and avert his gaze. 

“Well…” he started, glancing out the window where a flock of pigeons had just startled into flight.

“Heather, do you have some sugar?” 

“Oh, we just ran out. Is honey alright?”

“That’s fine.” Elizabeth turned her clear blue eyes to Eiji again, something warm in her gaze that made him vaguely miss home. The homesickness hadn’t hit him as hard as he thought it would. He’d been too busy, too anxious, when he felt like he was fighting for his life, for Ash’s life, every other day. But this—this was nice. 

“Haven’t decided?” 

“No,” he admitted, wrapping both hands around his cup as he looked out again toward the building that he’d been watching and photographing for the last few weeks. “I’ve been kept busy, so I really haven’t thought about it.”

“Hmm.”

Heather returned with a bear-shaped bottle and handed it off to the other. “But Eiji, dear, it’s important to think about these things. After all, you intend to go back to school, right?” 

“Eventually,” Eiji answered ambiguously. He hadn’t been thinking about the future much, if at all, and he realized that he didn’t want to. Because the future was so uncertain. Where would he and Ash be in a year? Or even just a few months from now? Ash probably knew better than him, and he wouldn’t tell him anything. It was frustrating, but he let it be for the other’s sake. No one was more aware of his own helplessness than he was. 

His expression must have darkened because Elizabeth started speaking again, voice kinder. “It’s all well and good to show appreciation to the people who are helping you, but you can’t forget to look out for yourself as well.” 

“I’m not,” Eiji hurriedly replied, her words hearkening back to something similar Ibe-san had told him once. But now, he  _was_  doing this for himself. He smiled widely and took an enthusiastic bite of his cookie. “I’m having a really good time right now. Chris and I have become… friends.” 

He paused as he thought of something, chewing slackening. “Maybe… people.”

“Sorry? People?” Heather asked as she pushed the cookie plate closer to him yet again. Eiji swallowed and made a small gesture with his hand in decline.

“Photographing people, I mean.” 

“Like a model photographer? For magazines?”

“Not quite.” Eiji looked down at his half-filled cup and saw his own brown eyes reflected back at him in calm, watery green. Jade. Like Ash’s eyes. “I just think… there are some sides to people that we don’t get to see very often. It’d be nice to capture those with a camera. Evidence that they existed.”

It took him a few seconds to notice the silence following his sentence. When he looked up, Heather had a hand pressed to her chest and an odd, wistful look on her face. “ _Oh_ , Lizzie. He’s a romantic.”

“T-That’s—! I mean—” Eiji ducked his head, embarrassment high on his cheeks, less because of what he said and more because he’d definitely been thinking of a certain person when he said it. That person probably would’ve had the same, or a similar, reaction. 

Elizabeth laughed, the sound short and high-pitched like a bird’s. “Stop, Heather. Let’s not make fun of him.” 

“I’m not!” the other squawked as Elizabeth pushed her chair back, and the legs scraped against the marble tiles.

“I think that’s an admirable objective, Eiji. But you’ll have to excuse me. My husband just texted me. Apparently, he misplaced some files.” She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, what would he do without me.” 

Something told Eiji that Jessica and Mrs. Owen would get along. Eiji stood as well, looking to the screen of his own phone. “Oh, I should leave also. I should be making dinner about now, I think.” Ash had told him he’d be back sooner rather than later today. For some reason, he was suddenly really looking forward to seeing him. 

“Eiji!” Heather stood as Elizabeth was already walking out of the kitchen. She was just lifting up both cookie and brownie plates when Eiji quickly motioned no with his hand.

“Ah, it’s okay really, haha. Chris is very… finicky about his weight. Thank you, though.”

Heather pouted, and Eiji nearly laughed at seeing a middle-aged woman so upset over desserts. It was jarringly normal. Far more normal than discussions about mysterious drugs and mafia deals, anyway. He held the door open for Heather as she walked through to see them out. 

Elizabeth was on the phone already when they arrived at the foyer, eyebrows creased and frowning as she exchanged rapid-fire, back-and-forth legal jargon with her husband on the phone. She gave a cursory wave in parting and was gone, voice echoing down the hallway to the elevator.

Heather sighed. “Don’t mind her, Eiji dear. She’s just grumpy because her due date’s soon.” She stood at the door, hands laced together and again reminding Eiji of his own mother standing at the  _shoji_  with a plate of food. “It was wonderful talking with you. Oh, and I almost forgot. Non-combustible garbage goes out on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Just something I noticed that I figured you weren’t aware of.”

“Oh!” Eiji made a mental note of it and nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Coleman. And for the snacks as well.” He turned for his own apartment, and Heather waved out at him. 

“Come by anytime, dear!” 

* * *

As the end of October neared, neither Heather nor Elizabeth had the mind or time to arrange another afternoon get-together. Elizabeth’s due date was edging ever closer, and her temper had flared as a result. She’d be admitted to the maternity ward soon. Heather herself was busy with Halloween knick-knacks, costumes, and the like. She hadn’t had as many recent run-ins with Eiji or Chris either though their companions continued coming and going. On one of the days that she did, she’d seen Eiji looking a little… crestfallen. She’d almost stopped to ask how he was doing if her son hadn’t complained that she was walking too slowly and derailed that line of thought entirely. 

Halloween was always a “big” event as in she went all-out on the food prep and ended up making more than she usually did without even noticing. The children would be home and hungry soon, but even they and their friends wouldn’t be able to eat the entire spread of dishes and desserts she’d prepared. Just as she was mulling over the issue, the bell rang. 

Lizzie held two pies, one in each hand when Heather opened the door. “Lizzie! You’re still baking? That’s not good for the baby!”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “This isn’t my first rodeo, you know. Don’t tell me you’d rather  _not_  eat my famous pumpkin pie?”

She handed one off into Heather’s hands. Heather blinked at the other. “Who’s that one for?” 

“Eiji, of course. Who else? That boy’s probably never eaten a pumpkin pie, much less one like mine.” 

A large smile lit up Heather’s face as she hurried back into the apartment. “Lizzie, that’s a wonderful idea! I was just thinking that I’d made too much food. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself. And that Chris boy could use some fattening up.” 

Elizabeth dawdled at the door, poking her head in only when she was starting to grow impatient. That was when Heather re-emerged with a roast turkey in one hand and a walnut casserole in the other. 

Elizabeth sighed, stepping back to make room. “Heather, you  _always_  go overboard.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that I did this time, isn’t it?” She beamed at her creations, still hot, as she led the way. 

Elizabeth did the honors of knocking on the door, being the one with a free hand. It was only a few seconds before someone answered, Eiji’s youthful face painted over with surprise. “Mrs. Coleman, Mrs. Owen.”

“Happy Halloween!” Heather immediately dumped the turkey into Eiji’s hands, and the other had to scramble to catch it properly. 

“ _Wah_ , wait, I—” 

“For you—and Chris!” Heather presented her second offering to a flabbergasted Eiji.

“A pie too,” Elizabeth added, proffering her own plate as Eiji stared at them both in silence and swallowed.

“I, uh, I really don’t know what to say. We weren’t planning on celebrating…”

“Of course you should celebrate! You’re both so young. Halloween is for the youngsters, after all. Have some fun!”

Eiji smiled helplessly and turned as if looking for a place to set the large cooked bird. “Uh.” There must have been a table at the entryway because he leaned to the side and leaned back empty-handed. 

“Really, thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to make something so extravagant on my own,” he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as his other accepted the casserole and set it down again. He took the pie last, bright-eyed at the strong smell of pumpkin and buttery crust. 

“What else are neighbors for? Well, we can’t stay and chat. The children will be home soon, and we still have some things that need doing. You boys enjoy the food! And if you want to thank us, bring Chris along with you to tea next time!” 

Heather and Elizabeth waved, and Eiji waved after them until they disappeared into Heather’s home. “I will,” he called and meant it. He’d get Ash to reciprocate their kindness somehow though he had a feeling the boy wouldn’t appreciate it. Eiji laughed to himself as he shut the door, leaning back and knocking his head against it. If only Ash really  _were_  Christopher Winston, the junior high school student with a banker dad. He wondered if he’d be happier that way. 

Probably, so he’d take their advice about celebrating. At least for tonight, they could be normal teenagers. Eiji placed both hands on his hips and stared resolutely at the small ensemble of food. He nodded to himself once before calling further into the room, “Bones! Kong! Let’s go buy some Halloween costumes!” 

**Author's Note:**

> the title doesn't really have a lot to do w/ the story, but i loved that puN AND THEY DIDNT INCLUDE IT IN THE ANIME AHHHH anyway i started this when i read the manga and dropped it for lack of muse bUT THEN ep12 came around and spurred me to finish it :') looking back the entire thing is not very... exciting... but i really liked the idea of eiji making "normal" friends out of the rich bored housewives in ash's building LOL i just want the children to have normal lives kthxbye ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ


End file.
